AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra
The AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra (ガーベラ・テトラ) is a prototype assault mobile suit designed by Mika Akitaka and was featured in the OVA Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. It was piloted by Cima Garahau. Design & Development As part of its military reconstruction following the One Year War, the Earth Federation Forces began its Gundam Development Project in collaboration with Anaheim Electronics, the goal was to produce new experimental Gundam-type mobile suits. The intended fourth unit in this GP series was the RX-78GP04G Gundam "Gerbera". Its design sought to replicate the high-speed mobile suit assault tactic successfully established by the Principality of Zeon late in the war, in which a single mobile suit was able to penetrate the enemy forces and deal heavy damage as exemplified by the MS-18E Kämpfer. However, the role of the "Gerbera" was found to have many overlapping elements with its brother unit, the RX-78GP01 Gundam "Zephyranthes" which was upgrade-able for space combat, so its development was cancelled. As a result, Anaheim Electronics was left with a half-completed "Gerbera". The division within Anaheim Electronics that produced the "Gebera" was created from the Zeonic Company (which still had strong loyalty to Zeon) and was approached by the Delaz Fleet. The division then revised the design of the "Gerbera" to hide its origin, and produced the AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra. The Gerbera Tetra features a simple armament, consisting of four 110mm machine guns, two mounted in each forearm, two beam sabers for melee combat, and a beam machine gun, a beam weapon with a much higher rate of firepower than standard beam rifles. The Gerbera Tetra can be equipped with an optional stürm booster on its back, which despite increasing the overall mass, dramatically increases the suit's speed and flight range. Armaments ;*110mm Machine Cannon :The Gerbera Tetra is equipped with four 110mm machine cannons, two mounted on each forearm, with the magazines attached to the elbows. They are much stronger than the 60mm vulcan guns mounted in the head of the Gundam and GM-type mobile suits, and combined with their excellent rate of fire, they are extremely effective in mid-close range mobile suit combat. ;*Beam Saber :The beam saber is a small device held in the mobile suit's hands when deployed and is powered by a rechargeable energy capacitor. It emits high-energy Minovsky particles to form a blade-shaped I-field (via manipulation of electromagnetic fields), and then fills this I-field shell with superheated Minovsky particle plasma to produce an effective cutting blade. The Gerbera Tetra has two beam sabers stored in the armor attached to the top of its thighs. ;*X-04 Beam Machine Gun :A prototype beam weapon that continuously fires pulse shaped beams and excels in sweeping fire and assault use, causing widespread destruction by multiple shots. As the technology for intermittently firing mega particles is under development, a cooling jacket and a coolant tank is connected to the barrel and the lower part of the barrel respectively. A forced cooling nozzle is also located at the back of the generator section. When the gun has reached its operating limit, the top part of the generator section slides out for forced cooling and a limiter is also activated, disabling the rapid-fire mode. Reactivation of the mode requires a new coolant tank. ;*Shield :An optional defensive armament used by the Gerbera Tetra in the Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Rebellion manga, it is the same shield as used by the MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander Type. Special Equipment & Features ;*Stürm Booster :An optional equipment, it is a combination of propellant tank and vernier thrusters. The Stürm Booster allows the Gerbera Tetra to reach the front line quickly without using any of the mobile suit's own propellant. It is purged once the mobile suit reaches its destination. :;*Ejectable External Propellant Tank ::The Stürm Booster can be equipped with two additional propellant tanks to increase the flight range. They can be purged once empty. History In UC 0083, the Delaz Fleet launched Operation Stardust, an uprising against the Federation. Anaheim Electronics, while supporting the Federation, also offered to support Aiguille Delaz. Vice-President O'Sullivan then gave the completed Gerbera Tetra to Lieutenant Colonel Cima Garahau as a political gesture. During the last stages of Operation Stardust, Cima was killed and the Gerbera Tetra destroyed when Federation pilot Kou Uraki impaled it on the end of the beam cannon of his RX-78GP03D Gundam "Dendrobium Orchis", and blasted the suit in half. Variants ;*AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra Kirara Custom :A customized Gerbera Tetra Gunpla operated by Gunpla Idol Kirara, it features a pink color scheme and retains all of the Gerbera Tetra's standard armaments. The first unit was built by Kirara's fans, while Kirara herself built another after her loss in the Gunpla tournament. This second unit seems to be identical to the first, except that it has a modified head unit where the antenna is located on the centre of the forehead like the commander antenna found on some Zeon's MS. Gallery AGX-04(GERBERA-TETRA) head.jpg|Head unit agx-04-hatch.jpg|Cockpit Hatch agx-04-sturmbooster.jpg|Sturm Booster agx-04-beammachinegun.jpg|Beam Machine Gun agx-04-beamsaber.jpg|Beam saber Gerbera Tetra Rough Draft.jpg|Rough Draft Agx04_p01_RollOut_MayflyOfSpace2.jpg|Gerbera Tetra (Roll-Out Version): torso close up as seen on Gundam 0083: Mayfly of Space 2 Agx04_p02_BeamMachineGun_0083-OVA_episode13.jpg|Gerbera Tetra fires X-04 Beam Machine Gun (from Gundam 0083 OVA) Gerberatetra-kirara.jpg|Kirara's Gerbera Tetra (Gundam Build Fighters) Gerbera-shield.jpg AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra BO2.png| As seen in Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2 Gunpla OldGerberaTetra.jpg|1/144 Original AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra (1992): box art HGUC_Box_-_Gerbera_Tetra.jpg|1/144 HGUC AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra (2013): box art HGUC_Gerbera_Tetra_(Roll-out_Ver.).jpg|1/144 HGUC AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra (Roll-Out Version) (P-Bandai exclusive; 2016): box art HGBG Kirara's Gerbera Tetra.jpg|HGBF 1/144 AGX-04 Kirara's Gerbera Tetra (P-Bandai exclusive; 2016): box art Notes & Trivia *"Gerbera" refers to the genus of the sunflower plant, which is named after German botanist Traugott Gerber. *"Tetra" is ancient Greek for the number "four". References External Links *AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra on MAHQ.net *AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra on Gundam 0083.net ja:AGX-04 ガーベラ・テトラ